Trump strikes somber pose at unveiling of Shanksville monument after being criticized for bizarre fist-pumps and cursory one-line tweet on the day when Americans should have stood as one to mark the 17th anniversary of 9/11

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President Donald Trump commemorated the victims of Flight 93 on Tuesday in Pennsylvania, praising the heroes who stopped a hijacked plane from reaching Washington, D.C. seventeen years ago - but only after starting the day of national unity by tweeting about the FBI, its scandal-tainted lovers and Hillary Clinton then arriving for the event with a double fist pump. 

A quartet of plots in 2001 shook America's collective sense of national security and signaled the global beginning of a new normal.

They 'took their own fate, and America's fate, into their own hands' by storming the cockpit and forcing a group of jihadis to crash into a field instead of turning the U.S. Capitol building into a domed inferno, Trump said.

'America will never forget what your loved ones did for all of us,' he told a crowd of hundreds.

'They stopped the forces of terror and defeated this wicked, horrible, evil plan,' Trump said, referring to 'radical Islamic terrorism' several times as 'the enemy.'

His remarks came during an annual ceremony marking the 9/11 attacks that shook America's collective sense of national security in 2001.

Speaking against the backdrop of wind turbines and mountaintops, Trump praised law enforcement and first responders while promising to do 'everything in my power to prevent terrorists from striking American soil.'

He said the four planes were 'hijacked by evil men bent on terror and conquest' and promised to 'never flinch in the face of evil.'

President Donald Trump praised the heroes of Flight 93 who forced a group of terrorists to drash a hijacked plane rather than allow it to hit the U.S. Capitol. The 9/11 attacks happened 17 years ago today

Trump pledged to fight 'radical Islamic terrorism' and lauded the 40 men and women who fought hand-to-hand with 'the enemy' to save others' lives in Washington on September 11, 2001

The president pumped his fists as he arrived at a small regional Pennsylvania airport in advance of his speech

How Trump tweeted: The tone of Trump's early morning social media was at odds with his role on 9/11 as consoler-in-chief

Memorial: The ground in Shanksville where Flight 93 crashed into the ground is marked by a 93-foot tower with 40 wind chimes, one for each of the passengers and crew who died

As it was: This was the aftermath of Flight 93's crash on 9/11, when the day after it was a crime scene

Intimate: Trump addressed a small crowd of a few hundred people at the Shanksville ceremony 

Trump and his wife Melania traveled to the rural town of Shanksville, PA, where a California-bound United airliner crashed after the 40 passengers and crew members learned what was happening and attempted to regain control

Gathering: Trump addressed an audience which included service personnel and veterans, relatives of the dead and local residents

United in grief: Flight crew from the airline were among those at the commemoration addressed by the president. Flight 93 was on its way from Newark Airport, New Jersey, to San Francisco, when it was targeted by four hijackers. Its 33 innocent passengers and seven crew all died.

Visit: Trump gave a thumbs-up as he walked into the Flight 93 National Memorial with his wife Melania and Stephen Clark, the superintendent of the park

Tour: Donald and Melania Trump were taken through the plaza in the memorial to the overlook which has a view of the field where Flight 93 crash landed

Explanation: Memorial superintendent Stephen Clark pointed out the ground where Flight 93 crash landed from the Flight Path Overlook

Moment of reflection: President Trump and the First Lady were left alone on the memorial overlook to spend time with their thoughts

Solemn: Trump and Melania walk back towards the memorial plaza after spending time looking at the ground where the flight crash landed after passengers and crew fought back

Hail to the chief: An Air Force chief master sergeant salutes the president and first lady at Shanksville, PA

Escort: Memorial superintendent Stephen Clark leads President Trump and the First Lady on to stage in Shanksville, PA

Trump and his wife Melania traveled to the rural town of Shanksville, where a California-bound commercial airliner crashed after the 40 passengers and crew members learned what was happening and attempted to regain control of the aircraft. Everyone on board was killed.

Trump is a New York City native making his first visit as president to the site.   

'A piece of America’s heart is buried on these grounds, but in its place has grown a new resolve to live our lives with the same grace and courage as the heroes of Flight 93,' he said.

'This field is now a monument to American defiance' that delivers 'a message to the world: America will never, ever, submit to tyranny.' 

At the Pentagon, a choked-up Vice President Mike Pence recalled the deaths of 'little children just finding their way in the world' when American Airlines Flight 77 brought down part of the Pentagon's west wall.

'There were new recruits and dedicated veterans, patriots all,' he said.

But he recalled the teamwork as military brass and enlisted men and women rushed to crawl through the rubble for survivors.

'I'll never forget what I saw that day. I saw heroism. I saw strength,' Pence said.

He also praised Trump for winning the largest budget increase for America's military in the history of the nation, saying it would help the U.S. 'drive ISIS from the face of the earth.'

Al Qaeda's terrorists 'looked to break our spirit and they failed,' Pence said.

Americans nationwide commemorated the anniversary with somber tributes, volunteer projects and a new monument to victims Tuesday, after a year when two attacks demonstrated the enduring threat of terrorism in the nation's biggest city.

Trump started the day tweeting about his domestic political enemies. 

He was incensed about a new development in the investigation of a senior FBI agent caught conspiring with his lover to help ensure his defeat in 2016.

A text message revealed Monday night by a Republican congressman shows Peter Strzok telling Lisa Page in April 2017 that they should collaborate on a 'media leak strategy.'

So as he prepared to visit Shanksville, he blasted the pair and praised his own lawyer Rudy Giuliani, who was mayor of New York City when the terrorists struck in 2001.

'New Strzok-Page texts reveal 'Media Leak Strategy',' he marveled, citing a Fox News Channel report.

'So terrible, and NOTHING is being done at DOJ or FBI – but the world is watching, and they get it completely.'

Strzok's lawyer said a few hours later that 'media leak strategy' referred to an effort to stop leaks, not to initiate or promote them.

The White House told reporters that 'bad weather' had forced the president to travel to Joint Base Andrews via motorcade instead of helicopter, denying the press the chance to ask him questions on the South Lawn.     

White House aides participated in a moment of silence on the South Lawn later in the morning, in fair weather.

New York City marked the anniversary with a moment of silence at the site of the attacks on Tuesday morning.

Governor Andrew Cuomo, Rudy Giuliani, Nikki Haley, Bill de Blasio and Chris Christie were in attendance in New York.

Giuliani was the New York City mayor and Christie governor of New Jersey on the day Al Qaeda terrorists killed nearly 3,000 Americans with coordinated airliner hijackings and calculated crashes. 

Vice President Mike Pence spoke during a ceremony at the Pentagon in suburban Virginia

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump attended a 9/11 anniversary tribute in Shanksville, Pennsylvania on Tuesday

Bill Anders, left, and Sharon Custer ring bells as part of the Name Presentation and Ringing of Bells Remembrance during the Shanksville service while the Trumps looked on

The Flight 93 memorial service where Trump spoke was attended by hundreds including ordinary Americans who traveled to pay honor tothe 40 victims of Flight 93

Address: Trump spoke to commemorate the victims of 9/11 and said: 'America will never, ever, submit to tyranny.'

Support: Trump supporters were among those who attended the memorial ceremony in Shanksville, PA

Display of affection: Trump kissed the First Lady at the end of the ceremony for the victims of 9/11 and particularly those on Flight 93

Hand-in-hand: The President and First Lady walked off Marine One as they transferred to Air Force One for the flight back to the White House

Pence and his wife Karen Pence lowered their heads after laying a wreath during the Pentagon memorial observance

Former Mayor of New York City Rudy Giuliani speaks with Chris Christie, former New Jersey governor, during ceremonies marking the 17th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks. The U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley  is also pictured

There was a moment of silence and an annual reading of the victims' names at the National 9/11 Memorial and Museum

Trump and Melania arrive with Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf (back) at the September 11 Flight 93 Memorial Service in Shanksville on Tuesday morning

Hail to the chief: Trump and the first lady are saluted as they walk down the steps of Air Force One 

Political gesture: The day of unity and mourning also attracted some supporters of the president

Chance to see Trump: The president's supporters were among those at the Pennslyvania commemoration

Margie Miller was among the 9/11 victims' relatives, survivors, rescuers and others who gathered on a misty Tuesday morning at the memorial plaza where the World Trade Center's twin towers once stood. 

She came to the site from her home in suburban Baldwin, as she does 10 or so times a year, to remember her husband, Joel Miller. Only a few fragments of his remains were recovered.

'To me, he is here. This is my holy place,' his widow said before the ceremony began with a moment of silence and tolling bells at 8.46am, the time when the trade center was hit by the first of two terrorist-piloted planes.

Trump and Pence headed to the two other places where hijacked planes crashed on September 11, 2001, in the deadliest terror attack on American soil.

Trump took the occasion of last year's anniversary to issue a stern warning to extremists that 'America cannot be intimidated.'

Nearly 3,000 people died in the attacks on 9/11, when international terrorism hit home in a way it previously hadn't for many Americans. Sept. 11 still shapes American policy, politics and everyday experiences in places from airports to office buildings, even if it's less of a constant presence in the public consciousness after 17 years.

A stark reminder came not long after last year's anniversary: A truck mowed down people, killing eight, on a bike path within a few blocks of the World Trade Center on Halloween.

In December, a would-be suicide bomber set off a pipe bomb in a subway passageway near Times Square, authorities said. They said suspects in both attacks were inspired by the Islamic State extremist group.

Remember: Unlike 17 years ago, New York was rainy and misty, with the Freedom Tower wrapped in cloud

Never forget: Firefighters from Engine Co. 10 and Ladder 10, the closest New York Fire Department unit to the twin towers, were among those taking part in commemorations in New York

Remember: A New York firefighters was among those attending the commemoration in New York in dress uniform, and walked past the reflecting poll which marks where the South Tower stood

Remembered: Firefighters gather at the Liberty Street firehouse of Engine Co. 10 and Ladder Co. 10 before the commemoration. The units lost five active duty firefighters that day and a retired captain who was fire and safety director of the World Trade complex

Guests at the National 9/11 Memorial listen as the victims' names are read out during a ceremony on Tuesday

A woman holds a bouquet of flowers during at the 17th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the United States on Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2018, in New York

A woman arrives with a sign bearing photo memories for Wilder Gomez in New York. Gomez, from Colombia, was a bartender at Windows on the World on the 103rd floor of the World Trade Center

James McGlynn looks towards the One World Trade Center site wearing a tie bearing the likeness of the original World Trade Center towers. He says he purchased it about about a week after the attacks in 2001 and has worn it every anniversary since

A U.S. flag that few over the World Trade Center is presented during ceremonies marking the 17th anniversary of the attacks

A firefighter pauses at the South pool of the 9/11 Memorial during ceremonies marking the 17th anniversary of terrorist attacks

A man pauses at the north pool before the start of a commemoration ceremony for the victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks at the memorial in New York City

Remembered: U.S. Army Reserve Sgt. Edwin holds a photo of his cousin Ruben Correa, an FDNY firefighter with Engine Company 74 who was 44 when he died. Retired New York City firefighter Bruce Stanley brought a portrait of his late friend Leon Smith Jr., an FDNY firefighter with Ladder Co. 118, who was 48 when he died

Present: New York governor Andrew Cuomo was at the Ground Zero commemoration with his partner Sandra Lee

Remembered: Traders observed a moment of silence on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, which is close to where the terror attacks took place

The recent attacks in New York, as well as terror attacks elsewhere, were on Miller's mind as she arrived Tuesday.

'You don't want to live in fear, but it's very real,' she said.

Debra Sinodinos, who lost her firefighter cousin Peter Carroll and works near the trade center, said she tries not to let the recent attacks unnerve her.

'You have to move on,' she said as she headed into the anniversary ceremony with her extended family. 'Otherwise, you'd live in fear.'

The 9/11 commemorations are by now familiar rituals, centered on reading the names of the dead. But each year at ground zero, victims' relatives infuse the ceremony with personal messages of remembrance, inspiration and concern.

For Nicholas Haros Jr., that concern is officials who make comparisons to 9/11 or invoke it for political purposes.

'Stop. Stop,' pleaded Haros, who lost his 76-year-old mother, Frances. 'Please stop using the bones and ashes of our loved ones as props in your political theater. Their lives, sacrifices and deaths are worth so much more. Let's not trivialize them.'

White House Chief of Staff John Kelly and other members of staff observe a moment's silence on the south lawn at 8.37am - the time the first tower was hit in the 9/11 attacks

U.S. Army Reserve Sgt. Edwin Morales kneels as he honors his cousin Ruben Correa at the National 9/11 Memorial and Museum in New York

A nation remembers: In Lansing, Michigan, members of the city's fire department honor guard took part at the 9/11 memorial in downtown Lansing

A nation remembers: In Miami, firefighters and police took part in a service of commemoration 

A nation remembers: In Tempe, Arizona, 3,000 flags were planted in a park, each one carrying a name of a victim of the attacks

This year's anniversary comes as a heated midterm election cycle kicks into high gear. But there have long been some efforts to separate the solemn anniversary from politics.

The group 9/11 Day, which promotes volunteering on an anniversary that was declared a national day of service in 2009, routinely asks candidates not to campaign or run political ads for the day. Organizers of the ground zero ceremony allow politicians to attend, but they've been barred since 2011 from reading names or delivering remarks.

Hours after the ceremony, two powerful light beams will soar into the night sky from lower Manhattan in the annual 'Tribute in Light.'

Memorials to 9/11 continue to grow at Shanksville, where the Tower of Voices will eventually include a wind chime for each of the 40 people killed there, and ground zero, where work is to begin soon on a pathway honoring rescue and recovery workers.

A U.S. flag is unfurled at sunrise on Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2018, at the Pentagon

The annual 9/11 commemorations are by now familiar rituals, centered on reading the names of the dead. But each year at ground zero, victims' relatives infuse the ceremony with personal messages of remembrance, concern and inspiration

It will serve as a way to honor those who became sick or died from exposure to toxins released when the Trade Center's twin towers collapsed. Researchers have documented elevated rates of respiratory ailments, post-traumatic stress disorder and other illnesses among people who spent time in the rubble.

About 38,500 people have applied to a compensation fund, and over $3.9 billion in claims have been approved.

Meanwhile, rebuilding continues. A subway station destroyed on 9/11 finally reopened Saturday. In June, doors opened at the 80-story 3 World Trade Center, one of several rebuilt office towers that have been constructed or planned at the site. A performing arts center is rising.

However, work was suspended in December on replacing a Greek Orthodox church crushed in the attacks; the project hit financial problems.